Chapter 867: Preparation

Yun Xiyan and Pei Shoujing walked all the way back to the dormitory, chatting about many things along the way, from the Academy to their hometowns, as if they were friends. It wasn't that the two of them could become good friends just by chatting for the duration of the walk, but they had indeed grown closer today; after all, they shared the same circumstances and even predicaments, and were both filled with confusion about the road ahead. Talking to each other helped alleviate some of the pressure, and in the midst of their conversation, they also learned a bit about each other's pasts.

For instance, the opportunity to come here for the Training Class was extremely rare. Although it was a short-term, one-year curriculum, the first year of the truce period had been spent on planning, and it wasn't until the second year that students were officially recruited, so this was only the second cohort. The purpose of the Training Class was to master the knowledge of both worlds, to exchange and integrate, and ultimately to blaze a new trail and bear fruit. This highly cutting-edge concept was said to have been proposed by a Highness of great importance in the Sword Court. A considerable portion of the conservatives resisted it, and the Tianmo went without saying, but there were also plenty of young people who wanted to give it a try.

If the first cohort could be considered to have had ample spots, then by the second cohort, demand had already exceeded supply.

"Huh? You were invited to the Training Class proactively? You didn't apply?" Yun Xiyan was very surprised.

"I wouldn't call it a proactive invitation. It was when I wrote to a friend mentioning my predicament that he asked me if I wanted to come to the Qianxian to take a look," Pei Shoujing said very calmly. "Coming to the Qianxian is an opportunity to escape my own situation. After all, there is no longer a place for me in the Human World."

Speaking of this, Pei Shoujing also sighed. She had previously strayed into the Turtle Bandits and held a position there for a period of time. Although she had already left, there was a file on her with the Turtle Bandits, and they could have come after her at any time; it was just that the Turtle Bandits hadn't bothered with her. Three years ago, the Turtle Bandits stumbled and were basically uprooted; their headquarters were taken down, the "Central Hub" was basically wiped out, and their files were exposed. The Imperial Court naturally pressed their advantage to hunt down the remnants.

At a time like this, one couldn't just argue "I strayed in" or "I have already left" to be absolved of past crimes; it was inevitable that they would pursue to the end and implicate one's entire family. On top of that, she had ultimately chosen to take refuge in Lingzhou and become a mountain lord. Although she wasn't the type of great bandit who committed all sorts of murder and arson, she often collected protection money and clashed with other mountain strongholds. In any case, she hadn't done anything good, so naturally, she couldn't clear her name.

Adding insult to injury, the Yunzhou campaign to suppress bandits, which had been temporarily suspended, had actually started up again. Seeing the bandit gangs, big and small, in a state of panic, and knowing that even forces far stronger than her own could not be spared, she knew it was not a long-term solution. In the end, she had no choice but to write to an old acquaintance, which was also an act of seeking help.

She hadn't held out much hope, but the old acquaintance had actually provided a feasible suggestion, and once she agreed, the process moved immediately. In less than a month, she was already at the Qianxian, having joined the Training Class.

She felt that this was a narrow escape from death, but Yun Xiyan felt she was showing off: "I had to submit an application through my family, go through assessments, and defeat dozens of opponents just to win this opportunity! You actually got here so easily! Truly, comparing people makes one want to die, and comparing goods makes one want to throw them away."

She grumbled resentfully, but since they had already graduated, it didn't mean much, so she could only say: "But you, a person with connections, aren't annoying. What's truly annoying is someone like Han Ziyuan, who clearly got in through the back door yet puts on airs and looks down on others. His strength is just so-so, yet he acts like a big shot."

Pei Shoujing said: "He might very well become the big shot."

Yun Xiyan let out an "Ah?". Pei Shoujing said: "Xiyan, since you are mainly here to learn, did you volunteer to become a Guerrilla Elite of the Tianmo Jie?"

Yun Xiyan was stunned: "What?"

Pei Shoujing said: "Although it wasn't explicitly stated, since the war has broken out again, those of us who are closest to the Tianmo will all be used to fight on the very front lines. It might even be behind enemy lines. Except for a portion of people who are particularly good at academics and might do specialized research or serve as combat staff, everyone else should be operating as guerrillas in small squads, right? After all, there will never be a new cohort of students again. We, these few hundred people from two cohorts, count as rare treasures who understand the details of the Tianmo best. It would be a waste to put us in the main army."

Without her needing to spell it out, Yun Xiyan knew herself that she couldn't do any work related to the intellect. She hissed: "Is that so? I thought I came here to learn the skills of the Tianmo. After all, the Tianmo have a set way of practicing martial arts and tempering the flesh; that's exactly what I came for."

Pei Shoujing knew Yun Xiyan's abilities—she was touted as the student closest to the Tianmo, or even surpassing them—and said: "Your skills are excellent. Once you are in a squad, you will certainly become a pillar of strength."

Yun Xiyan's eyes lit up and she said: "Right. Why don't we form a team? I see that you are very smart and quite calm. Every smart person I've met is this composed. Plus, your personality isn't annoying. I'll hold the sword and charge in the front, and you can plan in the back. We can be good partners. When the time comes to form a squad, you can be the Captain and be responsible for command."

Pei Shoujing shook her head and said: "It wouldn't be good for us to team up."

"Why?"

"Our positions overlap."

Yun Xiyan: "???"

As the two chatted, they saw the dormitory in sight. A young man was walking out of the main entrance of the dormitory.

Because there were not many people, the dormitory building was divided only by race, not by gender, though men were on one floor and women on another. Both sides entered through the same building entrance.

After all, these people were already adults capable of taking responsibility for themselves, so the so-called precautions were not that strict. If one really wanted to visit other floors, no one would stop them. It was just that most people had serious business and had fought for this opportunity themselves, so they wouldn't go too far out of line.

However, although the young man before them was of a similar age to them, he was not a fellow student, but an instructor.

Pei Shoujing was somewhat surprised when she saw this young instructor in the Academy. This person could be considered an old acquaintance; they had once fought side by side. She hadn't expected that in the blink of an eye, he had become an instructor.

However, his strength was indeed formidable, and he was knowledgeable and had quite a bit of research on the Tianmo; he was a quite qualified instructor.

"Instructor Wei." Yun Xiyan greeted him. She had only taken Instructor Wei's concealment course and hadn't interacted with him outside of class, so meeting him was just a greeting. In her impression, this instructor's personality was also very introverted and not easy to communicate with, so she intended to just brush past him.

"Two students, you are here." Instructor Wei nodded kindly and said: "Have you received the notification?"

Yun Xiyan was stunned for a moment. Pei Shoujing realized what was happening and raised her hand to look at her wrist. These students all wore wristbands, which had a small panel for receiving messages.

Sure enough, there was a new message. Before she could look at it in detail, Instructor Wei had already said: "If you don't know yet, I'll tell you now. Prepare to pack your things and retreat."

"Ah?" Yun Xiyan had already been in a heavy mood, and now she felt even more suppressed: "So fast?"

Pei Shoujing asked very calmly: "Is there a specific timetable?"

Instructor Wei said: "No, at any time. Go back and pack your things now. Pack the essential items first; the other odds and ends can be packed later. You must reach the point where you can retreat with your luggage as soon as you hear the order." He pointed to the wristband and said, "Pay attention to the notifications on the band. Once there is an evacuation order, act quickly according to the instructions. It would be a shame to waste what you've learned on this trip if you still mess things up despite having such good instant communication tools."

Yun Xiyan said: "Yes. Where will we go after we retreat?"

Instructor Wei said: "First return to Qianjin City to receive a dedicated Identity Plate. Then there will be a simple volunteer application, and your destination will be assigned based on your preferences. Originally, there was an option in the preferences to return home for quiet cultivation. But the current situation likely won't allow for that; everyone must fight. Even if you go back for a while, you will soon be conscripted into the army. So, try your best to think about what position you would be in if you were to fight."

Seeing that both students had suddenly become nervous, and Pei Shoujing was even furrowing her brows as if she felt the pressure, he offered a word of comfort: "There is no need to be this nervous for now. We are all still here, so it's not your turn yet. Still, the same applies: pay attention to the instructions at all times and follow orders."

After saying this, he left. Yun Xiyan muttered: "What 'we are here, it's not your turn,' acting as if you're a senior. But looking at you, you don't seem older than me."

That was what she said, but Yun Xiyan knew that the instructor was a genuine Sword Hero. A Sword Hero of this age was indeed remarkable. She was not younger than this instructor, and she had been a Sword Guest for four or five years, yet she hadn't even touched the threshold of a Sword Hero. She had been called a genius back home, but now it seemed she had truly been a frog in a well.

This instructor might be the second most talented person she had ever met. As for the first, it was, of course, that "big brother" she had always admired the most.

She wondered how he was doing now. He must have become a remarkable person, right? Although it seemed he became a Sword Guest even later than her, with his talent, he must be stronger than her, right? Perhaps even stronger than the instructor before her.

At this moment, Pei Shoujing frowned and said: "There is going to be a war."

Yun Xiyan asked in confusion: "Didn't you say long ago that there would be a war?"

Pei Shoujing shook her head and said: "What I said before was in the long term, that a battle was inevitable. But looking at the instructor's meaning, there is a great battle right before us."

Yun Xiyan pondered carefully and gradually began to understand, saying: "You mean... there was no rush to retreat before, but now the decision to retreat is sudden, so there must be an emergency? What could it be? Could it be a Tianmo surprise attack?"

She couldn't help but look to the other side, which was the accommodation area for the Tianmo.

Although she had developed friendships with certain Tianmo, her overall impression of the Tianmo had not changed. If it were the Tianmo, it wouldn't be strange for them to launch a sudden sneak attack.

Pei Shoujing pondered: "That is the only possibility. The Tianmo were indeed only feigning friendship, harboring evil intentions. Since there is an enemy, I intend to go and fight." As she said this, she chased after the direction in which Instructor Wei had left.

Yun Xiyan hurriedly said: "Wait for me, let's fight side by side!"